Fire-escape



(No Model.)A

C. B. ANDERSON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented Dec. so, 1884.

N Punks. nmblmmgmpxmr. wmmgm". n, c.

ilNrTnn STATES PATENT @Trice CHARLES BINGLY ANDERSON, OF MAYSVILLE,KENTUCKY.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,014, dated December30, 1884;l Application filed July l. 18S-l. (No model To all whom it mayconcern.:

Be it known that I, GHARLns B. ANDER- soN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Maysville, in the county of Mason and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Escapes, and I do declare the following to be full, clear, andexact description o f the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

Figure l of the drawings is a side view of my device. Figs. 2 and 3 areedge views of the same, and Fig. et is a vertical csectional view.

This invention, which is an improvement on a patent granted vto me andnumbered 296,502, relates to that class of fire-escapes in which thelowering-cord is attached to a crankshaft turning between disks, thesupport for the person descending beingconnected therewith by propermeans; and it consists in the two following features: an improved methodof securing the crank-handles to the rotating shaft and of increasingand decreasing their acting lengths, and an' improved method ofattaching the locking-cord to the device.

It consists, further, in certain details of construction hereinaftermore fully described.

In the drawings, A A represent two equal parallel and similar. disks ofiron or other suitable material, joined together near their edges by aring of metal, a, so as to form a box. 1 a is a transverse slit oropening in said ring a, within which, near its opposite edges, are thetransverse rollers ai at', which have their bearings in the disks A A,near the edges of the same. If desired, the disks A A may be united byequal and similar rods, a a, riveted to them at proper points aroundtheir edges, in lieu of the ring a.

B is a hollow shaft, of iron or other proper material, turning centrallyand transversely in proper openings in the disks A A, and having thesimilar ends, b b, projecting outward from the disks, and b b are twosimilar slots in each. end b, which slots run at right angles to theaxis of the shaft B, and are diametrically Opposite to each other, andeach slot in one end is longitudinally opposite one ofthe slots in theother end.

C C are two equal and similar crank-levers, provided with the handles cc,'rotating in the usual manner, and preferably united by a hinge-jointto the arms of the lever, so as to be turned down when not inuse.

c is the arm of each lever, with its inner end engaging in and passingthrough the slots b b at one end of the shaft B, where it is secured bythe pin ci-in its extreme end,

i which bears against the side of the shaft B,

opposite the handle c, and by the longitudinal spring c, which ispivoted at its center to the outer surface of the arm, and has the endof its inner leaf bearing against the side of the shaft B directedtoward the handle c.

Then it is desired to bring the handle nearer the shaft B, (i. e.,shorten the crank-lever,) the said inner leaf is depressed andthe arm cslid in the slots b b until bothleaves of the spring c bear against theinner sides of theshaft, the spring being just sufficiently long forthat purpose. As the slots b b on both sides of the shaft arelongitudinally opposite each other, the crank-handles, when-inserted,may stand parallel or diametrically opposite each other, so that aperson can turn them hand over hand or both hands together, as mostconvenient. If desired, an additional spring, c", may be added, which,when the crank-lever is out to its fullest extent, will rest inside theend of the shaft B and have its end bearing against the inner surface'of the same.

D is the escape rope or wire, attached above to some proper point, andhaving itslower end, which passes between the rollers a2 a2, Xed to androlled upon the shaft B between the disks A. The said escape-rope ispreferably made in the form of a metal tape, which `will wind closer inthe shaft B and allow the disks and the levers to be made smaller. Inthis case the disks are closed by the ring a, and the device resemblesin shape a tape-measure. (When a rope or wire is used, the disks areconnected by the rods.) The escape-rope has secured to it at its upperend the hook d, closed by a spring or spring-point, so as to formsnap-hook, for a purpose hereinafter menione ICO

d is a grapple similar to that in my Patent No. 296,502, which, whennecessary, can be attached to the snap-hook d. The said snaphook ispreferably similar to that in the patent issued to me and numbered296,502.

E is a semicircular piece of plateiron or other suitable material,pivoting transversely in the disks A A, near their edges, at a pointdiametrieally opposite to the rollers a2 a2. The piece E is providedwith a hole, e, for the engagement of a snap-hook, e', to which isproperly attached a band or belt, e?, being similar to those in myPatent No. 290,502.

` F is the releasing-cord, having a`ring at its upper end, which engagesthe snap-hook el in the usual manner, and thence passes through anopening, f, in a piece of metal, f', similar to E, and pivoted to theedges ofthe disk near the rollers aE a2, on the side to which the backof the hook turns. The releasing-cord Fis tied in a slip-knot in theopening a', and has its lower part hanging down within reach of' aperson attached to the device, so that by pulling on it he can untie theknot and release the device to permit it to descend.

Thedevice being wound up, and attached by securing the snap-hook d overany proper ob` ject on the window-frame or inside the room, or, if nosuch object exists, by fixing the grapA ple d to any proper point, withthe releasingcord tied in the opening a', so that the device will notunwind, the person who wishes to descend attaches himself to the latterby the snap-hook on one end of belt e2, which is to pass around the bodyunder thearms, (thesnap hook passing through the ring on the oppositeend of the belt and then engaging the opening in the piece E.) Vhenattached he puts himself outside the window, and then, having jerked thereleasing-cord so that it will untie, regulates his descent or bringshimself to a stop by means of the crank-handles.

Having thus described my invention, whatl claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the disks A A, properlyjoined together, and provided with the rollers a a2 and piece E, and thehollow shaft B, provided at each end with the slots b b', of escape-ropeD, of metal tape, and properly joined to the shaft B, and thecrank-levers C C, composed of the handles c c and arms c c', andprovided with the pin ci and springs c c, substantially as specified.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination, with the shaft B, crank-levers CC, and disks A A, provided with the pieces E and f', of the es cape-ropeD, properly secured to the shaft, the releasing-cord F, and hook d,provided with the proper closing-point, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES BINGLEY ANDERSON.

itnessem CASPER HEEG, GHAnLns En. LORD.

